Is GeForce Now Already Better Than Google Stadia?

Game streaming services are nothing new, but so far, they haven't made the desired impact. Many gamers already forgot about OnLive service that was a disaster, but recently, Google is spending a lot of money promoting Stadia. Still, while everyone is talking about it, Nvidia quietly released it's GeForce Now service to everyone. As we've tried, we were pleasantly surprised about what it has to offer.

How Does It Work?

Stadia and GeForce Now are both game streaming services, meaning that the only thing that they require is an office PC and a decent internet connection, ideally faster than 30 megabits per second. You don't have to install games, as they are run on a high-end machine far away from you, and you are receiving a video stream. In theory, this means that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars every year on upgrades or worry about the drivers, compatibility, or any other issues. That is all up to Google and Nvidia to worry about. Still, that doesn't mean that Stadia and GeForce Now are the same thing with a bit of different pricing and compatibility, and Nvidia is currently in front.

Anti-Stadia

Google Stadia is a bit controversial, as technically, you need to buy games that you can only play using this service that is also not free. On the other hand, GeForce Now is more gamer-friendly. That means that you don't need to buy games that you already own, but you can play them via Nvidia's cloud-based service! Once the system checks if you own the game on Steam, Origin, or some other service, you will be ready to go and start playing it! That means you can play the same game locally and or via cloud-based service, which is a far superior solution! If you have a decent computer, you will probably want to play most of your games locally, but you can also see how it looks in ultra details and with ray tracing. Unlike Stadia, when you decide to cancel your subscription, you still own all the games. Sounds perfect? Well, there are a few things that need to be ironed out.

Missing In Action

Only a few days after release from beta, Activision Blizzard announced that their games won't be available on GeForce Now. Other publishers followed, which include Capcom and many other companies. Still, what is available here is far more than what Stadia offer, which is only a bit more than 100 games. Nvidia is the most dominant player when it comes to PC gaming, so there is no doubt that things will get better. Still, games that are exciting as nude teen Snapchat are coming - including Cyberpunk 2077. Also, while GeForce Now has a free mode, it's almost unusable now. We can understand the limitations, but on weekends, we had to wait hours for our turn to play, and the sessions are limited to 60 minutes only! For subscribers, you can access immediately, and also 4K resolution and ray tracing, for a few games that support it.

GeForce Now In Action

So, does it work? First, we are not professional gamers, so we can't tell you much about the lag. There is some, no doubt about it, but if for single player and casual gaming, it's doubtful you will notice it. Playing games like Arkham City or DiRT Rally 2.0 was a pleasant experience, at least control-wise. As for the graphics of all the games we've tried, only one was problematic - DiRT Rally 2.0. This game had an incredible amount of slowdowns, and whatever we've tried, the same thing happened every time. That is why it's important to check opinions on sites like MrPornGeek so that you are not surprised. As for the picture quality, of course, there is compression, even if you are on wired 150 megabits per second internet connection. At least, the compression is hard to notice unless you start paying attention to details. When playing driving games, we've noticed that the road textures and everything else is slightly more blurry. Purists won't like it, but GeForce is not meant for them anyway! Is it made for you then?